Traumatic Rupture of Cystic Left Retroperitoneal Mass: An Atypical Presentation of Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma.

Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is the most common type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Though the presentation is diverse, patients typically have a history of "B" symptoms and lymphadenopathy in areas such as the neck, mediastinum, or abdomen. However, a growing body of evidence suggests DLBCL can present as a cystic mass in diverse tissues. We present the case of a large cystic left retroperitoneal mass of unknown origin in a patient subsequently diagnosed with DLBCL. The diagnosis was obtained via percutaneous biopsy of the cystic mass in preparation for surgical excision. Upon diagnosis, surgical intervention was aborted, and the patient was started on chemotherapy treatment. However, four weeks into her treatment, she slipped and fell while in the bathroom and presented to the emergency department in shock with a computed tomography (CT) scan suggestive of splenic rupture. She underwent emergent splenectomy and resection of the cystic mass. She was discharged on postoperative day 7 and is currently continuing with outpatient chemotherapy. The presentation of DLBCL is notoriously diverse, however, this patient represents a unique presentation that adds to a growing body of literature suggesting DLBCL can present as a cystic mass. Pathological diagnosis should be obtained in all patients with cystic lesions of unknown origin before any surgical intervention to avoid unnecessary surgery and provide an optimal management plan.

An Unusual Case of Cecal Perforation: Accidental Ingestion of a Tooth in an Elderly Trauma Patient.

Foreign body ingestion is a common occurrence in the United States, with the majority passing asymptomatically. In cases where complications occur, such as intestinal perforation, it may present as an acute abdomen with diagnostic challenges regarding the etiology. A 70-year-old male was brought to the emergency department (ED) after he jumped from the second floor of a burning building, sustaining 10% second-degree burns to his forearms. He was intubated for concerns of inhalational injury and resuscitated. His intensive care unit (ICU) course included the management of respiratory failure, sepsis, and acute kidney injury. On hospital day 28, imaging showed moderate pneumoperitoneum with ascites. He was taken for abdominal exploration, during which it was noted that there was gross fecal contamination and a 1 cm cecal perforation. After resection of the ileocecum, it was left in discontinuity due to hemodynamic instability and contamination. He was brought for a second-look laparotomy in 48 hours, and an incisor tooth was found in the right pelvis, and an ileocolic (ileum-ascending colon) anastomosis was performed. His post-operative course was complicated by an anastomotic leak and an intra-abdominal collection. Despite attempts at source control with percutaneous drainage, the patient remained septic with a poor prognosis. Goals of care were discussed, and the decision was made to de-escalate care. Although there is literature on foreign body ingestion resulting in intestinal perforation, there is a paucity of literature highlighting the importance of dental exams in elderly trauma patients, the incidence of perforation due to tooth ingestion, and maintaining a high index of suspicion for an acute abdomen in unusual presentations of sepsis.

Incidental Discovery of Nonrotation in a Patient With Nonspecific Abdominal Pain: A Surgical Diagnostic Dilemma.

Intestinal nonrotation is a subtype of malrotation occurring when the midgut fails to rotate before returning to the peritoneal cavity between weeks 8-10 of development. Though sometimes presenting as volvulus during the neonatal period, a subset of patients remains asymptomatic and are identified incidentally as adults. When patients with intestinal nonrotation present with abdominal symptoms, there exists a diagnostic dilemma for the treating surgeon. We present the case of a patient who presented with acute abdominal pain and vomiting, with radiographic findings of intestinal nonrotation and no other acute pathology. Symptoms spontaneously resolved with conservative management for likely etiology of viral gastroenteritis. At the one-month follow-up, the patient had no residual or recurrent symptoms, with no further interventions planned.

Prevotella bivia: A Rare Cause of Zuska's Breast Disease.

Zuska's breast disease is a rare disorder leading to recurring subareolar abscess typically in obese patients with a history of smoking. The pathophysiology is a combination of ductal obstruction from squamous metaplasia and infection usually by anaerobic and gram-positive bacteria. Zuska's breast disease does not have a single standardized treatment partly attributed to the lack of physician awareness of the disorder. The initial management should include smoking cessation, anaerobic and gram-positive antibiotic coverage, and drainage of abscesses if present.

Clinical Course of Mechanically Ventilated COVID-19 Patients With Pneumothoraces.

Introduction Pneumothoraces in mechanically ventilated patients with COVID-19 indicate severe lung damage from inflammatory injury and barotrauma. These patients have a high mortality rate, and additional factors may further alter their clinical course. Methods We conducted a retrospective review of patients admitted to 11 public hospitals in New York City between March 6 and April 9, 2020, diagnosed with COVID-19. We identified 39 patients who developed pneumothoraces immediately after intubation or after a period of time on mechanical ventilation. Our study population was divided into various groups using demographic and clinical characteristics. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS software (IBM Inc., Armonk, USA) and paired t-tests to compare clinical outcomes between the various groups. P values < 0.05 were considered statistically significant. Results Our population was comprised of 28 male (72%) and 11 female patients; 36 out of 39 patients (92.3%) died with a median time of 10 days from admission to death and a median time of 2 days from pneumothorax to death. The remaining three were discharged home or to another facility. Pneumothoraces developed immediately after intubation in 18 patients and after a period of time on mechanical ventilation in 21 patients. Factors associated with a worse clinical course included age greater than 65 years (time from admission to pneumothorax 4.81 vs 8.35 days; p = 0.011) and presence of one or more comorbidities (time from admission to intubation 2.3 days vs 4.8 days; p = 0.041). Other factors that may worsen clinical course include previous smoking (time from admission to pneumothorax 4.4 vs 8.54 days; p = 0.074) and use of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) greater than 15 cm H2O (time from intubation to pneumothorax 3.89 vs 6.42 days; p = 0.14). Conclusions Based on the findings in our retrospective review, COVID-19 patients who develop pneumothoraces on mechanical ventilation have a mortality rate in excess of 90%. Older patients and those with comorbidities have a more fulminant clinical course.

Transgender surgery - Knowledge gap among physicians impacting patient care.

Transgender surgeries are increasingly performed across the globe and in the United States. Although comprehensive centers exist, which are well equipped to cater and tailor to the needs of this population subset, quite often their resultant complications are handled at a different institution owing to the acuity of the condition. However, interestingly the psychosocial needs, medical pathophysiology, available surgical procedures, and their resultant complications are still not a part of the regular medical curriculum. This translates into inadequate care when physicians from vast majority of institutions that do not routinely perform transgender surgery encounter these patients with complications from gender-affirming surgeries. We present a case of a patient who underwent complex multiple gender-affirming surgeries, presenting to our emergency department with an acute abdomen; this resulted in a diagnostic and management dilemma and review of brief pertinent literature. We recommend that transgender medicine and its basics needs should be exposed to currently practicing physicians by continuing medical education, trainees and medical students alike via incorporation into their curriculum, to decrease health disparities among the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer community.

Splenic injury after elective colonoscopy.

Splenic injury is a rare but serious complication of colonoscopy. Since the mid-1970s, 68 splenic injuries during colonoscopy including our 2 cases have been described. With the increasing use of colonoscopy, endoscopists, surgeons, and radiologists are more likely to encounter this unusual complication. Any cause of increased splenocolic adhesions, splenomegaly, or underlying splenic disease might be a predisposing factor for splenic injury during colonoscopy. However, it can occur in patients without significant adhesions or underlying splenic pathology. The diagnosis is often described in the literature as delayed, because many physicians are not aware of this complication of colonoscopy. Although computerized tomography is highly sensitive, knowledge of this complication is the best tool to aid in early diagnosis. Patients with abdominal pain, hypotension, and a drop in hematocrit without rectal bleeding after colonoscopy should be suspected of having splenic injury. Early recognition and interdisciplinary management are required to assure successful management of this potentially life-threatening injury. Patients with hemodynamic instability most often undergo surgery. We present 2 cases of splenic injury secondary to colonoscopy that required splenectomy.

Identification and Surgical Management of Upper Arm and Forearm Compartment Syndrome.

Extremity muscles are grouped and divided by strong fascial membranes into compartments. Multiple pathological processes can result in an increase in the pressure within a muscle compartment. An increase in the compartment pressure beyond the adequate perfusion pressure has the potential to cause extremity compartment syndrome. There are multiple sites where compartment syndrome can occur. In this article, an arm and forearm compartment syndrome ensued secondary to a minor crushing injury that lead to supracondylar and medial epicondylar non-displaced fractures. A pure motor radial and ulnar nerve deficits noted on presentation, worsened with progression of the compartment syndrome. Ultimately, a surgical fasciotomy was carried out to release all compartments of the right upper arm and forearm.

Pulmonary edema associated with methylene blue dye administration during sentinel lymph node biopsy.

Sentinel lymph node biopsy (SLNB) is an established procedure for staging early breast cancer. Recently, methylene blue dye has been advocated as a safe, efficacious and cost-effective substitute for isosulfan blue in sentinel lymph node mapping. In this case report, we describe a 44-year-old woman who developed pulmonary edema associated with the use of methylene blue dye for SLNB.

A case series of closed head trauma with pituitary stalk disruption resulting in hypopituitarism.

INTRODUCTION: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in young trauma patients with resultant multi-organ effects. Hypopituitarism following TBI can be debilitating and life threatening. TBI which causes hypopituitarism may be characterized by a single head injury, such as from a motor vehicle accident, or by chronic repetitive head trauma, as seen in combative supports including boxing, kick-boxing, and football. In the majority of cases, a diagnosis of hypopituitarism can be entirely missed resulting in severe neuro-endocrine dysfunction. We present a case series of two patients diagnosed with hypopituitarism after TBI and treated appropriately with favorable outcome. CASE PRESENTATIONS: The first case is a 34 year-old male, who presented to the emergency department with blunt head trauma after a motor vehicle accident while riding his bicycle. He suffered from severe cranio-facial injuries, resulting in multifocal hemorrhagic contusions, epidural hematoma, and extensive cranio-facial fractures involving the sinuses. The patient developed persistent hypotension with a blood pressure as low as 60/40 mmHg on hospital day three. The second case is a 56 year-old male with a history of schizophrenia, who suffered traumatic brain injury after he was hit by a train. The patient sustained multiple facial fractures, pneumocephalus and C2/7 transverse processes fractures. He also had persistent hypotension, unresponsive to standard treatment. Investigation revealed a deficiency of anterior pituitary hormones resulting from pituitary axis disruption. DISCUSSION: Hypopituitarism is becoming an increasingly recognized complication following TBI, ranging from total to isolated deficiencies. Traumatic Brain Injury is a major public health problem and is one of the leading causes of disability. Understanding and recognizing pituitary dysfunction after TBI can lead to better outcomes and improved quality of life. CONCLUSION: Patients with major head injury and, in particular, those with fractures of the base of the skull, must be closely monitored for signs and symptoms of endocrine dysfunction. Appropriate dynamic pituitary-function screening should be performed.

Warfarin induced mesenteric and intestinal hematoma requiring surgical resection to relieve small bowel obstruction: A case report.

INTRODUCTION: Mesenteric and Intramural Hematoma leading to small bowel obstruction is a rare, but a fatal complication of anticoagulant therapy. PRESENTATION OF CASE: We present this unique case of 61 year old male with non traumatic mesenteric and intramural hematoma secondary to warfarin leading to small bowel obstruction requiring surgical resection. DISCUSSION: Although there have been few cases reported in literature about intramural small bowel hematoma, however, associated with small bowel obstruction secondary to warfarin therapy are less frequently seen. Diagnosis of intramural hematoma can be made with Computed Tomography (CT) of abdomen. The most effective treatment approach is conservative management after excluding any signs of small bowel obstructions, peritonitis and bowel necrosis. CONCLUSION: Therefore, early diagnosis is vitally essential to avoid morbidity in patients with these symptoms. Physician should have a higher index of suspicion to recognize and diagnose this complication is essential for early treatment intervention to prevent morbidity.

Giant Mucinous Carcinoma of the Breast.

We report a case of giant mucinous carcinoma of the breast in a 55-year-old female who presented with left breast lump for two years. The patient did not seek any medical attention for two years. On exam, the lump measured 12 x 14 cm. Core needle biopsy showed invasive mucinous adenocarcinoma without ductal component. The patient underwent neo-adjuvant chemotherapy without any response. She underwent left modified radical mastectomy. All lymph nodes were negative. This was followed by adjuvant chemotherapy. Mucinous carcinoma is a rare type of breast cancer that carries a good prognosis compared to other types of breast cancers. In this report, we presented a giant mucinous carcinoma measuring 14 cm.

Our Inner-city Children Inflicted With Burns: A Retrospective Analysis of Pediatric Burn Admissions at Harlem Hospital, NY.

Pediatric burns in the urban environment present special problems. Communities in the inner-city may be unique with hardships due to various socioeconomic factors. Few, if any, papers have specifically sought to analyze pediatric burns in the inner-city, and there has been no report to date reviewing Harlem New York City, one of the most challenged areas in the nation. The aim of this study is to understand the prehospital circumstances and socioeconomic factors of affected patients, hospital care, and management of pediatric patients admitted with burns in Harlem. A retrospective review was performed of all the patients aged 0 to 18 years old admitted to the burn care unit from January 2006 to May 2017. Data collected included age, gender, ethnicity, burn mechanism, total burn surface area, first aid and management, socioeconomic factors including parental supervision, single or binary parenting, caregiver financial and employment status, New York City Administration for Children's Services (ACS) child protective services reporting for child abuse or neglect. Analysis was done using Microsoft Excel 2016 and SPSS statistics v23. A total of 177 pediatric burn patient admissions were included. The majority of the patients were toddlers (1-5 years of age). The most common type was scald burns. The average TBSA burnt was approximately 9%. Nearly all the injuries occurred at home with more being during winter months. Strikingly, the majority of patients, over 75%, did not receive appropriate first aid measures. Moreover, socioeconomic issues were significant with 60% of patients having single parents, approximately 35% with lack of supervision and neglect or abuse reported in 25% of these cases. Unemployment rate of the caregiver was high, with 50% unemployed or in between jobs. In 73% of the patients, their parents were receiving some form of social aid for childcare and sustenance of family needs. Pediatric burns are a major public health issue. An understanding of community variations with these injuries is essential taking into account socioeconomic challenges that these children face. Our inner-city hospital pediatric burn admissions have substantial caregiver and socioeconomic challenges in excess of traditionally reported in the literature. Most injuries occurred at home and the majority lacked proper prehospital first aid care. This analysis is informative, providing professionals and caregivers topics of consideration regarding safe practices at home, appropriate first aid measures, prevalent socioeconomic issues in our community in Harlem. There is a need to address socioeconomic factors which may potentially prevent pediatric burn admissions in these inner-city communities.

Duodenal Diverticular Perforation after Small Bowel Obstruction: A Case Report.

INTRODUCTION: Duodenal diverticulum is a rare disease that can be easily missed. The incidence of duodenal diverticulum diagnosed by upper GI study is approximately 5%. Autopsy results show that 22% of the population have duodenum diverticulum. Most patients with duodenal diverticulum are asymptomatic. However, complications like inflammation, perforation with retroperitoneal abscess, sepsis, pancreatitis, bile duct obstruction, and bleeding can occur. Approximately 162 cases of perforated duodenal diverticulum have been reported in the literature. CASE PRESENTATION: We present a rare case of an 82-year-old female with perforation of a duodenal diverticulum caused by small bowel obstruction; in addition to this, there was a synchronous colonic tumor. CONCLUSION: Diagnosis and management of this rare disorder are controversial. Nonoperative management is advocated in some cases. Some of the cases require early aggressive surgical intervention. The mortality rate remains approximately 45% in all these patients.

Pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema after successful laparoscopic supra-cervical hysterectomy.

Laparoscopic hysterectomy is a commonly performed gynecological procedure. Although the outcomes are favorable, severe life threatening complications such as pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum and subcutaneous emphysema can occur during laparoscopy secondary to carbon dioxide insufflation. We report a 46-year-old female who was scheduled for laparoscopic-assisted supra-cervical hysterectomy for uterine fibroids. Patient tolerated the procedure and there were no intra-operative complications. Post operatively she developed hypercarbia, subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum. She was managed conservatively. This case demonstrates a rare occurrence of subcutaneous emphysema and pneumomediastinum after supra-cervical hysterectomy.

Small bowel obstruction due to mesenteric abscess caused by Mycobacterium avium complex in an HIV patient: a case report and literature review.

Small bowel obstruction in HIV patients is reportedly caused by inflammatory pseudotumor, Kaposi's sarcoma, cryptococcal lymphadenopathy and intestinal tuberculosis. The incidence of Mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) infection in HIV patients is 3% for CD4 cell count of 100-199 /mm3. MAC causing small bowel obstruction is rarely reported in the literature. We report a rare case of MAC causing mesenteric abscess with small bowel obstruction in a HIV patient with a CD4 cell count of 144 /mm3. Patient was a 35-year-old HIV-positive male on highly active antiretroviral therapy who presented with partial small bowel obstruction secondary to mesenteric abscess. He underwent operative intervention for drainage with cultures growing MAC.

Tracheostomy Exchange Resulting in Rare Combination of Pneumomediastinum, Pneumothorax, Massive Pneumoperitoneum, and Subcutaneous Emphysema.

Tracheostomy tube change is a relatively common and simple procedure once a tract is formed between the skin and the trachea. Regular tracheostomy tube changes decrease the risk of postoperative pulmonary infection and granulation tissue formation. However, serious complications, such as loss of airway, subcutaneous emphysema, and mediastinitis, can occur if the tube exchange is performed inappropriately. We present a rare association of subcutaneous emphysema, tension pneumothorax, pneumomediastinum, and pneumoperitoneum following a tracheostomy tube exchange in a 56-year-old patient who had his tracheotomy placed a month ago. The patient was successfully managed conservatively by chest tube and supportive care.

The enigma of granulomatous mastitis: A series.

Granulomatous mastitis is a chronic inflammatory breast disease with an enigmatic clinical presentation that can delay diagnosis and perpetuate ineffective treatments. We report our experience with the diagnosis and management of eighteen cases of granulomatous mastitis in the setting of an urban public hospital. The patients were identified after a retrospective review of pathology and surgery databases. Demographic, clinical, radiographic, histopathological data and treatment responses were reviewed. Out of a total of 18 patients, 8 patients were noted to be from Mexico. The mean age at presentation was 35 years and 11 of the 18 patients reported a pregnancy in the last four years. Most cases were unsuccessfully managed as bacterial breast infections initially; definitive treatment involved surgical excision and steroids. A complete symptomatic and radiographic resolution was documented in 8 of the 18 patients. Despite posing a challenge for the unsuspecting physician, an early diagnosis of granulomatous mastitis improves patient outcomes.

A rare case of listeriosis, acute cholecystitis and multiple myeloma.

Listeria monocytogenes (LM) is an aerobic, motile, intracellular gram-positive bacterium. Most invasive systemic infections caused by LM are commonly seen in patients at both extremes of age, during pregnancy or in immunocompromised hosts. Common clinical manifestations of LM infection in immunocompromised adults are bacteremia, infections of central nervous system, such as meningitis, and self-limiting febrile gastroenteritis. Focal infections of listeria are rare, especially cholecystitis, with only few cases reported in the last 33 years. A 62-year-old man presented with multiple myeloma, cholecystitis and LM bacteremia. Due to prompt surgical treatment and antibiotics (amoxicillin plus clavulanic acid and gentamycin), this high-risk patient recovered without any complications.